Safety reversible floor conveyer.



E. CHRISTENSEN.

SAFETY REVERSIBLE FLOOR CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7. 1918.

Patented (m 22,1918.

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E. CHRISTENSEN. SAFETY REVERSIBLE FLOOR CONVEYER.

1,282,379 APPLICATION FILED ]AN.7. I918- Patented Oct? 22,

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SAFETY REVERSIBLE FLOOR CONVEYEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 22, 1918.

Application alea January i, 1918. Serial no. 210,717.

FloorConveyers, of which the following is a Specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates toa class of devices employed for conveying hand trucks on inclined surfaces.

The objects of my invention are to provide a sprocket chain system conveyer, so arranged that parts thereof will engage the wheels of a hand truck in such a manner that the truck may beconveyed up or down an incline in a practical way and with entire.

safety to the operator. I accomplish these objects, as'well as others, by the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings which form a part hereof.

Figure I is a side elevation of the device with intermediate parts broken away.

Fig. II is a cross section of the sprocket, chain and adjacent parts on the line Il[-H of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a plan view of chain and adj acent parts on the line IIITII of Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a plan view of a sprocket with a flight and adjacent links in place.

Fig. V is a section of a half sprocket wheel on line VV of Fig. TV.

Fig. V1 is a radial section of asprocket wheel on the line VL-VT of Fig. V. a Fig. VII is adetail plan view of lin flight with half section and end elevation'in projections. a

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the views. 7

A floor incline 7 and horizontal floor 8 are indicated in Fi I. The floor, at the ends of the longitu inal openings or channels therein and above and below the respective sprocket wheels, has curved sections 9-9'. Between these sections is alon tudinal opening 10 in thefloor, of suita le width. The shoulders of the floor on each side of the opening are protected by angled sheathing extending longitudinally along them. In and below this opening my conveyer system is arranged. It will be rimarily understood that a like'space', flbor arrangement and system are placed parallel with the one indicated, each being adapted to simultaneously engage one wheel of the transverse shaft of a hand truck, and thus convey the truck. Thus the illustratlon and ing identical constructionand arrangement in the drawings.-

Below the surface of the floor and the opening 10 isa' channel 12, open at each end.

and extending between the sprocket wheels hereinafter described. A track 13 extends longitudinally along the bottom'of the channel. On the upper and lower ends of the channel 12 and on each side of said ends are the respective free angle supports 14'-14 which terminate a suitable distance beyond the channel ends. At a suitable distance below the floor, and vertically beneath the channel 12, are parallel tracks 15, in alinemeint with the respective sides of the channe An upper sprocket wheel 16 and a lower sprocket wheel 17 are secured on transverse shafts 18 -18. The sprockets l6 and 17 extend upwardly within the respective spaces between the channel ends and. floor sections 99' also between the respectiveangle supports 14-14 and 14-14. The sprockets likewise extend downwardly between the tracks 15 and have teeth 19.. Power may be transmitted from any conon each-side of the grooves, and integral with the teeth, are arranged series of alternating lugs 2121' at a suitable height within the-grooves. A sprocket chain 22 is provided which extends c'ompletel about and connects the sprockets 16 an 17. Each link connection of this chain has. a pin 23 which extends a little beyond the outer link bars at each side of the connection. In the middle of the pin a small carrying wheel 24 is 'rotatably mounted between the bars of the links. Oneach end of the pin 23 is rotatably mounted a small wheel 25 of less diameter than the wheel 24. The pin also extends through bearings-27 of a flight 26 provided at each link connection. The flight 26 has its bearings adjacent to the inner sides of the wheels 25.- The flight has in its front and rear parallel curved supporting lugs 28.

The wheels 25 engage the lower surface of the floor 7 and also engage the angle supdescriptionis intended to apply to each of tt V the parallel systems, etc., without duplicat iio the respective grooves of the sprockets. A

ports 14-14: while traveling across the respective spaces between the floor and channel ends. The flights 26 travel between the lowertracks 15 and through the opening 10 and channel 12. In their passage the lower parts of the flight lugs 28 engage below them the alternating lugs 212l' in truck wheel 29 is shown in operative position near the upper end of the incline, being carried forward in engagement with preceding and following flights 26. The same truck wheel is further shown in dotted lines at 29' wher'eit is about to leave the last engaging flight and pass upon the level floor 8. It will now be seen that the operator moves a hand truck upon and over the parallel sprocket chain' system while in m0- tion and the wheels on each side of the truck are engaged by the flights 26 as shown by wheel 29 of Fi I. 'Thereupon the truck is carried upwar the direction of the chain travel. As the truck approaches the curved floor section 9 in its upward travel the truck wheels pass easily over the rounded floor sections, and upon the floorS. In a similar way the truck wheels ass from 01' upon the curved lower inclined fioor' sections 9. It will be noted that the flights are adapted in form to .engage the truck wheels as described. The

- sprocket lugs retain the flights in. an even end. This necessarily bearin over the carrying wheels 24. The side w eels prevent the fights or-chain from tilting by engaging the lower surface of the floor as shown. The above arrangement insures a practically even running surface over the wheel and chain and requires very little clearance. as .the chain passes below the floor. It will be seen that the construction and arrangement makes the 'devicefparticularlysafe for the operator.

The flights travel practically in llne with the floor plane and fill the opening 10. As the chain passes around thesprocket wheel,'noting especially now the upper onebecause of the illustrated flights, supported by the groove-lugs, form a practically complete transverse surface across the uppermost parts of the sprocket while entermg the space between the channel end and the floor provides an arrangement whereby any object such as the human foot, or a truck w *el, will be at once raised or forced out of the space and carried over upon the floor bevond. Therein lies the pe-- culiar safety feature of my device, which is a-novel arrangement. It will be observed further that while the chain is traveling in the channel the weight is carried on the center wheels 24 and ihe end wheels 25 engag-.

ing the floor shoulders revent tilting. The end wheels also carry t e weight acrossthe spa :e occupied by the sprockets as the endor downward according to v tending around wheel naeaeve wheels then travel on the angle supports 14-14. It will likewise be seen that the weight of the chain and other parts is carried by the and wheels 25 when the chain travels between the lower tracks 15, which takes considerable weight and strain from the sprocket s. The end wheels 25 are further imp Qf tant in that they prevent the chain from rising or buckling" when it travels in the reverse direction to that indi- .75 cated, otherwise the upper part of the chain would be slack and would rise above the" fioor upon meeting any resistance. It will Having described my invention, I 'claim- 1. A conveyor device of the character described,.having in combination, a floor pro- Vided with a longitudinal channel, sprocket wheels rotatably mounted below and at each end of the channel, extending upwardly within the channel lines, said sprocket wheels being formed chain grooves in their peripheries and a series of alternating lugs at a suitable height in the grooves, an endless sprocket chain exandconnecting saidsprocket wheels and arranged to travel through the channel, central mounted on the chain pivots and arranged to travel on the bottom of the channel, side -wheels rotatably mounted on each end of the carryingwhee pivots and arranged to travel in the channel below the adjacentfloor in engagement with its lower surface, and flights mounted on the wheel pivots,

with parallel annular carrying wheels rotatably said flights having forward and rear sup- 1 porting lugs adapted to engage the sprocket lugs during chain travel and also being arranged to engage and support between them the wheel of a truck and to alchain travel, it will be observed that the sprocket teeth and the low said truck wheel to engage the adjacent rim of'the sprocket wheel and be raised thereby to a plane even with that -of the floor at the end of the channel, substantially as'described.

2. A conveyer device of the character'described vided with a longitudinal wheels rotatably mounted below and at each end of the channel, extending upwardly within the channel lines, said sprocket wheels being formed with parallel annular chain grooves in their peripheries and a se ries of alternating lugs at a suitable height in the grooves, anendless sprocket chain ex tending around wheels and arranged to travel through the channel, central mounted on the chain pivots and arranged having in combination, a floor prochannel, sprocket and connecting said sprocket carrying wheels rotatably flights mounted on the wheel pivots, said flights having forward and rear supporting lugs adapted to engage the sprocket wheel lugs during the chain travel and also being arranged to engage and support betweenthem the wheel of, a truck and to allow said truck wheel to engage the adjacent rim of the sprocket wheel and be raised thereby to a plane even with that of the floor at the end of the channel, and a frame'arranged below the floor channel, provided -with tracks in position to support the chain side wheels in travel, also having a space between the tracks to allow free passage of the chain carrying wheels, substantially as described.

3. In a conveyer device of the character described, the combination of sprocket wheels formed with parallel annular chain grooves in their peripheries and a series of alternating lugs at a suitable height in the grooves, an endless sprocket chain'extending' around and connecting said sprocket wheels, and flights mounted on the chain pivot's, said flights having forward and rear supporting lugs adapted to engage the sprocket wheel lugs during the chain travel, also being arranged to engage and support between them the wheel of a truck and to allow said truck wheel to engage the adjacent rim of the sprocket wheel and be raised thereby to a place even with that of said rim when in its highest position, substantially as described.

EMIL CHRISTENSEN. Witnesses: DELIA SMITH WRIGHT, R. B. Po'rrs. 

